Self-opening container and music box



June 26, 1956 R. MaCGOWAN 2,751,803

SELF-vHENING CONTAINER AND MUSIC BOX Filed Sept. 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l \JL] 1 I2 {///////////////////////////////////A 1 M w 2 2 36 39 IO L i 43 ///V////1 IO' I 30 z /26 ||o' 4 34 2 O 2 42 6 39 I 37 o o 2 3 2 1 43 4O g l2 g .2 I Q 1 H I5 20 2| I IN V EN TOR.

E5 ['5 MACGOWAN ATTORNEY Filed Sept. 12, 1955 June 26, 1956 R. M GOWAN SELF-OPENING CONTAINER AND MUSIC BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i I l INVENTOR.

REX MAC GOWAN WJZNEY United States Patent 7 SELF-OPENING CONTAINER AND MUSIC BOX Rex MacGowan, Portland, Oreg. Application September 12, 1955, Serial No. 533,768 4 Claims. (Cl. 84-95) This invention relates to novelty containers or boxes having hinged covers or lids, such as cigarette boxes and the like, in which a musical device functions to provide the playing of a tune whenever customary use is made of the container.

An object of the invention is to provide a container of the type indicated with novel mechanism for opening and closing the hinged lid of the container, which mechanism will also simultaneously produce the desired rendition of a musical tune.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container with. means whereby the lid will be caused to open and close in one continuous operation during which operation there will be suificient time allowed to afford desired access to the interior of the container and its contents.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a combination container and musical device in which the rendition of a complete tune automatically accompanies each normal use of the container.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel self-opening container and music box which will besimple, practical and inexpensive to produce.

The manner in which and the means by which these objects are attained will be readily understood from the following brief description with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the container taken on the line indicated at 1 1 in Figure 2 and showing the lid of the container in closed position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan section on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation but showing the lid of the container or raised position;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan section, similar in part to. Figure 2, but illustrating the operating position of certain parts of the device during the raising and lowering of the lid; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section on line 5--5 of Figure 4drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring first to Figures 1 to.3 inclusive, the container, indicated in general by the reference character 10, consists of a rectangular box having legs at each bottom corner and being provided with a lid or cover 11 mounted on the top of the container by means of suitable hinges, one of which is shown at 12. The interior of the container is divided into two compartments 13 and 14 (Figure 2) by a partition 13. The compartment 14 is used as a container space for any articles, such as the cigarettes C, and the compartment 13 houses a combined music-box assembly and the lid opening and closing means.

The music-box assembly in compartment 13 is mounted on a base 15 which is secured to the container bottom by screws orother means. The assembly includes a rotatable cylinder 16, secured on a shaft 18, which shaft is mounted parallel to the plane of the base and is supsimilar to Figure l in extreme opened ported in suitable standards which preferably are formed integral with the base. The cylinder 16 is of the wellknown music-box type and its surface is provided with the customary radially-extending pins 16 which engage musical prongs 19 when the cylinder rotates, thus producing musical sounds, and the arrangement of the pins with respect to the individual prongs and with respect to the direction of rotation of the cylinder is such that a predetermined tune is played while the cylinder makes one complete revolution.

The shaft 18, and therewith the cylinder 16, is rotated by a wound spring mechanism which is not shown and which need not be described since it is of the usual and well-known construction customarily found in musicbox assemblies of this general type. This wound spring, cylinder-driving mechanism is located in a housing 23 and the spring of this mechanism is manually wound by means of a winding key 24 (Figures 1 and 3) located on the underside of the container.

A gear disc 17 is secured to one end of the cylinder 16 and, in order to restrain the speed of rotation of the cylinder 16 to the desired uniform speed for properly playing the tune for which the musical assembly is arranged, the cylinder 16 is connected with a rotatable speed governor 25. The speed governor consists of a blade attached at its center to a rotatably mounted vertical shaft which carries a worm gear 26 (Figures 1 and 3). A gear chain consisting of a pinion 27, a gear 28, a pinion 29, and a gear 30 (meshing with the worm 26), connects the cylinder gear 17, and therewith the cylinder 16, with the governor 25.

A control lever 31, mounted to swing horizontally on a screw pin 31, terminates at one end in a finger 32 (Figures 2 and 4) having a substantially right angle bend. This finger 32 is adapted to engage an aperture 33 (Figure 5) in the gear disc 17. A spring 35, connected to the control lever 31, holds the finger 32 against the gear disc 17 and causes the finger 32 to enter aperture 33 whenever the rotation of the gear 17 and cylinder 16 brings the aperture 33 into registration with the finger 32.

The control 31 has a second finger 34 (Figures 2 and 4) which projects from the side of the control lever 31 and is so positioned as to engage the governor blade 25 whenever the other finger 32 of the control lever engages the aperture 33. Consequently the shifting of the control lever 31 from the position of Figure 2 to the position of Figure 4 causes the finger 32 to be withdrawn with the governor blade 25. Whenever this occurs the cylinder 16 is free to rotate, such rotation being caused by the wound spring mechanism in housing 23 and such rotation being at the speed allowed by the governor 25. The rotation of the cylinder will continue until one revolution has been completed and the aperture 33 is again brought into registration with the finger 32. When this occurs the rotation of the cylinder is halted by the engaging finger 32 and by the engagement of the second finger 34 with the blade of the governor 25.

The end of the control lever 31 opposite from the finger 32 is notched and formed with an elongated sloping edge 37 (Figures 2 and 4) extending in a horizontal plane. This notched end of the control lever is adapted to be engaged by the inner end of a plunger rod 36 which extends through the front wall of the container into the interior. The plunger rod carries a sleeve 42, slidably supported in the front wall of the container, and the plunger rod is also slidably mounted in an interior support 41. A pair of collars 38 and 39 are secured on the plunger rod on opposite sides of the support 41 and limit the longitudinal movement of the plunger rod by engagement with the support. A spring 40 is carried on the plunger rod and is held in compression between the support 41 and the collar 39. The spring 40 thus normally acts to urge the plunger outwardly to the extent permitted by the other or innermost collar 38. The collar 38 is so set that, when the plunger rod is in its normal position, the inner tip of the plunger rod.will extend into the notch in the adjacent end of the control lever 31. This normal position of plunger rod and control lever is shown in Figure 2.

When the plunger rod is pushed inwardly, against the force of the spring 40,,the inward movement'of the tip of the plunger rod against the sloping edge 37 of the control lever 31 moves the control lever into the position illustrated in Figure 4. The outer end of the plunger rod 36 is provided with a finger knob 43.

A crank arm 20 is secured on the end of the cylinder shaft 18. A link 21 is pivotally connected with this crank arm at its lower end. The top end of the link 21 is pivotally connected to a bracket 22 which is secured on the inside face of the lid 11 of the container. The link 21 is made of such length and the bracket 22 is so positioned that, when the crank arm 20 is in lowermost position (as illustrated in Figure l) the lid 11 will be tightly closed. Then, as the crank arm moves with the rotation of the cylinder shaft 18, the lid 11 will be raised until the crank arm reaches its uppermost position, and then in turn will close as the crank arm again returns to its starting or lowermost position. The crank arm 20 is also so positioned that it is in lowermost position when the aperture 33 in the cylinder gear disc 17 is in registration with the finger 32 on the end of the control lever 31.

The operation of the device briefly is as follows: Assuming that the spring of the spring mechanism in the housing 23 has been wound, the operator of the device, desiring to open the lid, presses his finger on the knob 43 momentarily. This pushes the plunger rod 36 inwardly and causes the control lever 31 to be swung into the releasing position of Figure 4. The cylinder 16 immediately starts to rotate and the playing of the musical tune begins. Meanwhile, the lid opens slowly and then, during the playing of the second half of the musical tune, closes slowly. During this opening and closing of the lid, sufiicient time is provided for the operator to gain access to the interior of the container and to withdraw an object, such as a cigarette, from the compartment in the container.

Since the cylinder 16, when it is once released, must make a complete revolution before it can be stopped (assuming that the spring in the driving mechanism in housing 23 has been wound), the complete musical tune, as provided by the arrangement of the pins on the cylinder 16, will always be played whenever the device is operated, and the container lid will always be returned to closed position when the playing of the musical tune ceases. stances, to raise the lid of the container or to have access to the contents of the container, without causing the musical tune of the music box assembly to be entirely played.

I claim:

l. in a self-opening container, a lid hinged on said container, a spring-wound music-box mechanism in said container, a driven rotating cylinder .in said mechanism, a crank connected with said cylinder and rotated therewith, lid opening and closing means connected with and operated by said crank and so arranged that said lid will be in closed position when said crank is in its lowest position and will be opened and closed with the rotation of said crank, a control member for said mechanism, cylinder-engaging means on said member, cooperating means carried on the end of said cylinder adapted to be engaged by said cylinder-engaging means, whereby to stop the rotation of said cylinder when said crank has reached its lowest position, and .a manually-operable member for momentarily moving said control member and Also it is impossible, under ordinary circumtherewith said cylinder-engaging means into releasing position, said manually-operable member extending to the outside of said container, whereby, upon the manual actuation of said manually-operable member, said cylinder will be free to make one revolution and to cause said lid to be opened and closed while said music-box mechanism is functioning. I

2. In a device of the character described, a lid hinged on said device, a spring-wound music-box mechanism in said device, a driven rotating cylinder in said mechanism, a speed governor for said cylinder, a crank connected with said cylinder and rotated therewith, a link having one end connected to said crank, a pivotal mounting on said lid for the other end of said link, said mounting and said link so arranged that said lid will be in closed position when said crank is in its lowest position and will be opened and closed with the rotation of said crank, a control member for said mechanism, a cylinder-engaging finger on the end of said member, said cylinder provided with an aperture adapted to be engaged by said finger, whereby to stop the rotation of said cylinder when said crank has reached its lowest position, and a manuallyoperable plunger for momentarily thrusting said control member into releasing position, said plunger extending to the outside of said device, whereby, upon the manual actuation of said plunger, said cylinder will be free to make one revolution and to cause said lid to be opened and closed while said music-box mechanism is function- 3. In a musical device, a lid hinged on said device, a spring-wound music-box mechanism in said device, a driven rotating cylinder in said mechanism, a speed governor for said cylinder, a crank arm connected with said cylinder and rotated therewith, lid opening and closing means connected with and operated by said crank arm and so arranged that said lid will be in closed position when said crank arm is in its lowest position and will be opened and closed with the rotation of said crank arm, a control lever for said mechanism, cylinder-engaging means on said lever, cooperating means carried on the end of said cylinder adapted to be engaged by said cylintier-engaging means, whereby to stop the rotation of said cylinder when said crank arm has reached its lowest position, a governor-engaging member on said control lever engaging said governor whenever said cylinder-engaging means and said cooperating means on said cylinder are in engagement, whereby to aid in controlling the rotation of said cylinder, spring means normally holding said control lever in engaging position, and a manually-operable member for momentarily moving said control lever into releasing position, said manually-operable member extending to the outside of said device, whereby, upon the manual actuation of said manually-operable member, said cylinder will be free to make one revolution and to cause said lid to be opened and closed while said musicbox mechanism is functioning.

4. A musical self-opening container including a lid hinged on said container, a spring-wound music box mechanism in said container, a driven rotating cylinder in said mechanism, a speed governor for said cylinder, a crank arm connected with said cylinder and rotated therewith, a link having one end connected to said crank arm, a pivotal mounting on said lid for the other end of said link, said mounting and said link so arranged that said lid will be in closed position when said crank arm is in its lowest position and will be opened and closed with the rotation of said crank arm, a control lever for said mechanism, a cylinder-engaging finger on the end of said lever, said cylinder provided with an aperture adapted to be engaged by said finger, whereby to stop the rotation of said cylinder when said crank arm has reached its lowest position, a second engaging finger on said lever engaging said governor whenever said cylinder-engaging finger engages said aperture, whereby to aid in controlling the rotation of said cylinder, a spring normally holding said a rspace 5 control lever in engaging position, a manually-operable References Cited in the file of this patent plunger for momentarily thrusting said control lever into UNITED STATES PATENTS releasing position, said plunger extending to the outside of said container, whereby, upon the manual actuation 1876'753 Reuge Sept 1932 of said plunger, said cylinder will be free to make one 6 FOREIGN PATENTS revolution and to cause said lid to be opened and closed while said music-box mechanism is functioning, and a 1111121121111";

spring returning said plunger to normal position. 295 413 France Man 1' 1954 

